


liminal space

by consumptive_sphinx



Series: Mage AU [5]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Changeling AU, Fae AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 07:19:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11156988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consumptive_sphinx/pseuds/consumptive_sphinx
Summary: John's never had a talent for magic — but that might change.





	liminal space

John never did have a talent for magic. 

That wasn't noteworthy before, not in South Carolina, although in Europe there were some raised eyebrows — Henry and Eleanor never had a drop of the talent, and none of John's brothers or sisters were ever able to cast a spell. But there was always the feeling that he _should_ have had magic under his fingers, always the pull and the spark of it, always the feeling that if he twisted his will _just right —_

In retrospect, perhaps John should have guessed that he was a changeling. 

Alexander had tried to teach him, a few times, but had always gotten frustrated. Considering how Alexander's own self-taught methods and Washington's classical ones alike failed utterly, John is not particularly surprised. 

But Lafayette cannot use human magic, and so John had not considered asking him. Perhaps he should have. 

"That's not quite the feeling you should be going for," Lafayette says, when John describes taking that spark and twisting his will to it. "It's more like flexing a muscle — there's no process, you just _do_ it, see," and Lafayette's fingers twitch and there's a beam of silver light resting in the palm of his hand. 

John concentrates and feels for the spark of magic under his skin and flexes his fingers and _twists —_ and there's a point of greenish-gold light over his fingertips. 

"Your eyes turned gold just then," says Lafayette, who is watching him closely. 

John beams. 

xxx

Once he learns the trick of it, learning goes faster. He can't do most of the things Lafayette can do, it isn't like flexing a muscle, and he can't do most of the things Alex can do, it isn't like twisting his will to meet his magic, and he can't do any of the things Washington can do, it isn't at all like pulling his magic to meet his will. It's like — it's like taking oil and water and putting them together in a jar and shaking the jar until the oil and the water mix and willing it to stay that way, like a combination of magicks that were never meant to be combined. 

It's _exhilarating._ Every step forward is a step further than John has ever been able to go before, every spark of green-gold light a bit of the spark he's been able to feel all his life brought to the surface. 

And then there is Trenton, a mad dash across the river, and John's magic stays just under his skin and his full attention turns to the thrill of battle and battle won, a constant thrumming, and it is not until afterwards when the Hessians are captured and Alexander is kissing him that Alexander tells him, "You glowed the whole time, you've been glowing since," and John looks down at his hands and the freckles on his knuckles are a soft shining gold. 

"I could glow right now," he says, and he pulls Alexander upward and claims his lion for his own.


End file.
